Vistas versus Horizons

Vistas speak of views; perspectives; scenery; pictures of many components. Fullness. And what all of those things mean. They conjure ideas and a sense of place, endeavor and tasks.

Horizons are of distance; lines in the future; a mountain range in the far off; a bank of clouds demarcating ground and sky meeting. Horizons on the plains are different; curvature of earth; of rumpled surface rolling away to farms and hedgerows. The horizon marks the edge of our sight, but not of boundary. There is more over the curvature; more future, more space.

Horizons talk of possibility, of future. These are the things that propel us forward to the next task, the next opportunity. Unless…

To see what is around us is vista, of varying distances to be sure. But horizons, that is more of reach; our reach; of life and hope and dream. It is the future possibility that we seek and play with in our mind. It is really the whole sense of future.  What lies ahead.

I said ‘unless’ a paragraph before last. Unless what? Unless the life seeking the horizon has an imposed limit that is near. Death. If we are aware of it the horizon is a vista only, now. There is not forward reach possible. There is a limit. And at some point we are aware of it. It is a reality that cannot be pushed aside.

As life advances one knows death personally through friends, neighbors, acquaintances; and family. Of varying ages. Elders are expected, even prepared for. Youth are not. They are tragic and unexpected. Whatever the youth: the very young under 5 or 10; but also those 20 years younger than me!

We witness those who are on death’s course sooner rather than later. We see it in the eyes; a look not of longing but of stark knowing that you have a horizon while mine is now gone. I’ve seen that. It is a longing look, sometimes an angry one. Sometimes a winsome envy that your horizon continues to hold interest while mine does not.

Sensing the end of anyone’s horizon gives vitality to ours. We appreciate it more. We understand it differently now than before.

Vista is looking; at a picture of what is; of the now timeline. Horizon is two things: the long-off hope and dream of future possibilities; or the demarcation of my end. One is hopeful; the other hopeless.

Which are we seeing? Vista or Horizon? And of the latter, which?

What will we do with it?

April 12, 2012